BALTIMORE -- Much of Grayson Rodriguez¡¯s MLB career has been marred by injuries. Now, another unfortunate development has occurred for the 25-year-old right-hander.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde announced that Rodriguez underwent imaging on his right shoulder, which started to feel sore while the righty was recovering from the elbow inflammation that has had him on the injured list all season. Rodriguez was supposed to throw the third bullpen session of his throwing program at Camden Yards on Thursday, when he instead got an MRI.
On Friday, Hyde said the team is seeking more opinions after receiving the results of the imaging.
"We're going to get some other opinions on it, so there's really nothing to report at this time," Hyde said. "We're gathering information from second opinions from other doctors, and we'll have more to give you sometime next week when all that stuff comes back."
Until now, everything had seemed to be going well during the recovery process for Rodriguez, who first reported soreness in his right triceps area/near the back of his elbow following a Spring Training start on March 5. Two days later, Hyde shared that Rodriguez would start the year on the IL.
Rodriguez¡¯s most recent bullpen session was Saturday in Baltimore, where he was mixing in offspeed pitches along with his fastballs.
¡°So far, he is tolerating everything well physically, so that¡¯s good news, but we still have a lot ahead of us in terms of bullpens, buildup, live BP, ultimately a rehab assignment, and I¡¯m not ready to assign a timetable to his recovery yet,¡± general manager Mike Elias said Tuesday. ¡°I know that he¡¯s doing everything he can to strengthen up and get back to help the team as soon as possible, but we¡¯re not at the point yet of ballparking when that¡¯s going to be.¡±
Rodriguez¡¯s timeline is in further flux following the news regarding his shoulder, a part of his body that has sent him to the IL in the past.
Last year, Rodriguez was on the injured list from April 30-May 18 due to right shoulder inflammation. A similar ailment ended his 2024 season, as the ¡®18 first-round Draft pick went on the IL with right lat/teres discomfort last Aug. 7 and did not return.
Rodriguez also missed three months in 2022, when he went on Triple-A Norfolk¡¯s IL with a right lat strain that prevented him from getting his first callup to the big leagues that year. He later made it to the Majors for the first time in April 2023.
When healthy, Rodriguez has been among Baltimore¡¯s best starters. He had a 4.35 ERA over 23 starts during his 2023 rookie campaign, but he made major strides in the second half, when he recorded a 2.58 ERA over his final 13 outings.
In 2024, Rodriguez posted a 3.86 ERA in 20 starts around his two stints on the injured list.
The Orioles will remain optimistic about Rodriguez¡¯s chances of pitching sometime in 2025.
¡°We¡¯re hoping for the best, but we felt like it was necessary to get some imaging done,¡± Hyde said. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s frustrated.¡±
Rodriguez is among seven O¡¯s starting pitchers on the IL, along with Zach Eflin (right lat strain), Kyle Bradish (Tommy John surgery), Tyler Wells (UCL repair surgery), Albert Su¨¢rez (right subscapularis strain), Trevor Rogers (right knee subluxation) and Chayce McDermott (right lat strain).
The bad injury luck has left Baltimore with four healthy starters: Charlie Morton, Dean Kremer, Tomoyuki Sugano and Cade Povich. The Orioles will need a fifth starter for Saturday¡¯s matchup vs. the Reds, and Hyde said the team ¡°would like to avoid¡± using a bullpen game.
Brandon Young (Baltimore¡¯s No. 19 prospect, per MLB Pipeline) is the top candidate to be recalled from Triple-A Norfolk. It would be the 26-year-old right-hander¡¯s big league debut.